Mixed Nuts
by Judge-Douglas-Mason
Summary: How to cope when locked in a storage closet, among other things
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own them. Wish I did, but I don't. Que Sera Sera ------------------------------------------------------ 

Mixed Nuts -----------------------------------------

"I swear, if were locked in here much longer I'm going to freak out!" Sara hissed "Going to freak out, what do you call this?" Jim asked cautiously

Sara said nothing further but just shot him an evil look that told him to drop the subject. They were going on two hours now...two hours locked in the utility closet at the far end of the lab, the one that just had junk in it. Things like ladders, "wet floor/peligro" signs, decorations from the 02' Christmas party as well as other bits of junk. For his part, Grissom was sitting quietly, systematically reading the labels of every bottle of whatever was on the shelves, periodically looking up at Jim and Sara only to grin at their current state. None of them had their cells on them at present, so they were screwed. This was truly an experiment in patience and a great opportunity to observe people trapped in close quarters for long periods of time. As he sat back and read the label from a tub of Maxi-Tabs he could tell things were heating up. Sara was getting more animated and Jim's face was turning red.

"I gotta pee, I'm hungry, this place stinks and I want out!" she shouted "Look, we're at the other end of the lab, no one comes down here but Bobby D, and he's not due in for another 4 or 5 hours. So just sit tight and wait." Jim explained, turning to Gil who nodded the affirmative

"Five hours to hold my water. Five hours with him reading the inactive ingredients of AJAX and five hours of you telling me to shut up...Aaagh!" she shouted, jumping up and hammering on the door

Standing up, himself, Jim approached carefully and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Sara...sit down, shut up and calm down"  
"Or what, you'll arrest me?"

Without thinking, he took her face in his hands and kissed her full on the lips and mouth. They stood like that for a few moments, Grissom still sitting on the floor, now looking at them instead of his bottle of Grease-B-Gone. This was truly unexpected, Jim kissing Sara. However, it worked. She certainly shut up, eventually sat down and for the better part of an hour she sat quiet, just staring from Grissom to Jim and back, almost as though she were expecting him to say something, but he didn't, he just sat there, replaced the Grease-B-Gone and picked up a box of Borax.

An hour still longer, Sara finally spoke.

"Well, that certainly shut me up. Got anything to stop me freaking out?"

Smiling inwardly, he replied.

"Toss me your wallet"  
"What"  
"Toss me your wallet."

Reaching into her back pocket, she pulled out her wallet and tossed it at him and he did the same. They sat there rifling though each other's private things and the silence was broken when Sara pulled a photo out and held it for Jim to see.

"When was this taken"  
Leaning in a bit and examining it more closely, he smiled.

"That's from a trip I took to Washington, DC a couple of years back"  
"Who's the girl and why is she licking your face"  
"An old friend"  
"I would imagine so, since she's giving you a tongue bath."

A little later they all heard the shuffling of feet and Grissom jumped up and flew over to the door, knocking hard on it and calling out.

"Bobby, get us out of here."

Slowly the door opened and Grissom came flying out and running down the hall, throwing open the bathroom door. Jim and Sara, however, slowly got up, handed each other back their wallets and ambled down the hall to the locker room. Grabbing her coat, she smiled as Jim stood there in the doorway.

"How bout' breakfast?" he asked "Sounds like a plan." she replied

They left arm in arm with Gil still in the men's room trying to compose himself. Finally, in his office, he was visited by Catherine on her way home. Looking at him, she grinned.

"What's wrong with you?" she asked

"I just spent four hours locked in a storage closet with Jim and Sara. I swear, one minute longer and I've throttled them both. What with her screaming and his going through her wallet asking , "What's this?", "Where's this from?". Good thing Bobby decided to come in early or I'd have cracked their skulls.

The End


	2. Chapter 2

Seated at the diner down the street from the lab, Jim and Sara just sort of sat in companionable silence as they ate their breakfast, she her fruit salad and he his monster sampler. Trying not to be too obvious, Sara watched Jim eat. For some strange reason she had always liked to watch Jim eat. He wasn't a shoveler like a lot of men, he took small, delicate bites, chewed with his mouth closed and on the odd occasion that he did have food in his mouth when he spoke, he courteously tucked it into one of his cheeks so as not to show the masticated whatever. For her part, Sara more rearranged the food on her plate, eating the odd grape or piece of melon. Jim had noticed that Sara never ate much but didn't believe she had any sort of eating disorder. She was thin, that wasn't in dispute, but in his opinion she could stand to gain a few extra pounds.

When they had finished they took a stroll down the promenade looking into casinos and store windows. Sara's mind had been occupied all day, since the kiss, and she kept asking herself why he'd done it. It wasn't unpleasant, far from it, but she was just wondering and the not knowing was killing her, she hated not having the answers she wanted. Finally, outside Circus Circus, she stopped in mid stride and watched as Jim kept walking, oblivious to the fact she was no longer by his side. It took about six or seven good yards until he stopped and turned round', seeing her standing and staring at him. He smiled wide and returned to her side, taking her hand in his, stroking the back of it with his thumb. The contact wasn't a surprise as they'd held hands before, usually when he'd be helping her up from a squatting position or climbing form the truck……he was a gentleman like that, but the rubbing was new; again, not unpleasant, but new and different. He led them down a little further when she stopped again, this time still holding his hand and stopping him with her. He could tell that she had something on her mind and he'd wagered himself a buffalo nickel that he knew what it was. A smile still on his face, he just sort of looked at her and raised his eyebrow in that way that she loved. He had that glint in his eyes, too and the lines that some call "crow's feet", but she called "twinkle eye lines" were very present. She loved when he smiled. His whole face lit up and she loved it. Silently she stood there until he said four words.

"Because I wanted to."

Blinking several times and staring, mouth hanging open, she just looked at him. With his index finger under her chin he closed her mouth for her. The corner of his mouth turned up a bit, forming a smirk. All she could do was stand there and stare at him like some sort of confused dog, her head cocked to the side. Then he spoke again.

"It was either that or having you continue to freak out. Grissom was fine with his bottle reading but you needed something to take your mind off the situation. The wallet thing is also a sure fire thing. People always wanna know but they're afraid to ask. They see a fat wallet and see credit cards, photos and other stuff. I figured by being nosy that would take your mind off of the fact that we were stuck in a broom closet." He explained

Still stuck on "Because I wanted to", Sara continued to stand there looking at him. Smiling more heavily, now, he took a careful, but careful step toward her and spoke softly.

"You want me to do it again?"

Stepping back to see the expression on her face, he laughed heartily and leaned n, placing a light peck of a kiss on her cheek.

"Come on, Sar, let's get out of here. How does "Jackass" sound to you?"

"Um…….Uh……..Mmmmm…….." was all she could manage

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Before she knew where she was and what was going on she pulled up behind Jim in his drive and they were walking up the front walk and he was opening the door for her. She'd never been to his house before. She'd always wondered what it looked like inside. Was it a bachelor's pad or was it neat and tidy, like his office? Taking her by the hand, he gave her the grande tour, explaining as they walked through the place.

Ending up back in the living room, Sara sat on the couch watching Jim on his hand sand knees in front of the entertainment centre, his butt wiggling back and forth slightly as he looked for the dvd and hummed some random tune to himself. Unable to take her eyes off of Jim's rather muscular rump, she quickly found herself having some very naughty thoughts that, hard as she tried, she couldn't get them out of her mind. Seeing the reflection in the glass mirror like doors of the centre, Jim smiled to himself and when he located the dvd he popped it in and turned round'.

"You want anything while I'm up?" he asked

Still struggling with the image of his butt in her brain, she just gave a limp wristed wave to the negative. Moments later he returned and sat on the couch beside her, kicking off his shoes and propping his feet up on the coffee table.

"Kick em' off. Make yourself comfy." He said, nudging her

Sara tried to make herself as comfortable as her body would allow but she couldn't help but notice his proximity. Not that he was sitting on her, but he was pretty damned close to it…….maybe a few inches. As the movie started she sank back into the warm, fluffy folds of the couch and closed her eyes, telling herself that it would only be for a minute.

Hours later Sara woke up on an unfamiliar couch, in an unfamiliar room in an unfamiliar house. Sitting bolt upright and looking around she could see the back of Jim's head sitting at the computer and seeing the glare on the monitor, he smiled.

"Good afternoon. Did we sleep well?" he asked cheerily

Looking at her watch, she yawned and rubbed her eyes.

"How long was I out?"

"All through the movie. I figured you might get cold so I covered you up and removed your shoes then laid you out flat. You looked in dire need of some good sleep. Its almost time to go in. If you wanna shower, you're more than welcome. I took the liberty of grabbing your spare bag from your trunk. I hope you don't mind." He said, swiveling round' in his desk chair

"Yeah, give me fifteen minutes." She said

All through her shower Sara wondered what the hell was going on. First Jim had kissed her, then they went out for breakfast, then they went to his place and then she fell asleep. She wasn't uncomfortable, she actually felt quite at home once she'd woken up fully. Stepping from the shower, toweling herself off and dressing, she wondered what, if anything she should say to him in regards to the day's events. Deciding to just keep her yap shut, she tied her boot laces and when she emerged from the bathroom Jim was standing there with a travel mug in hand, she smiled and took it from him.

Outside, as Sara had her coffee, Jim took accepted the keys from her and drove them to the lab. When they got there it was still a bit early yet, so they sat in the car for a bit and just chatted a bit.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Crossing the parking lot at the lab, Grissom's attention was drawn to the sound of laughter coming from a car parked a few spaces away from where he was. He walked one row over and out of the corner of his eye he could see Jim and Sara joking about something. At the time he didn't know why, but he suddenly got very hot and felt a sort of jealousy at seeing Jim and Sara obviously having a good time.


	3. Chapter 3

Sitting in his office, Gil Grissom tried, hard as he might, to get the image of Jim and Sara laughing it up out of his mind. However, he could not forget the look on both of their faces as they laughed at whatever joke or story was being told. She, Sara, that is, did have a beautiful smile. Pity she didn't wear it more often. Jim was as close to a best friend as Gil had ever had, but to see him with Sara like that, for some reason, enraged him. He had no right to be jealous, as Sara wasn't his girlfriend, but at the same time he liked her more than he should, he being her supervisor and all. It would never work out, he knew that and on more than one occasion he'd told her to find a life outside of work and now that it seemed that she had, he wasn't happy; to the contrary, he was livid. Not livid at her finding a life, but with whom it seemed she had.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Still in the car, Jim and Sara were talking about general things; the cases they'd worked together, the time they'd spent together out of work and something that he'd had on his mind a lot as of late. For the last few months Jim had wanted to ask her out for a proper meal, just the two of them, or have her over for supper one night. He'd cook, of course, as he was a good one. His specialty, though not vegetarian, was beef roast with garlic mashed potatoes and steamed veggies. He'd tried substituting the meat with tofu one time but it tasted like some nasty trainer that had been left out in the rain for a week. He wasn't sure if she'd accept his proposal, but it couldn't hurt to ask, right? Turning in his seat to face her, he gave a lopsided smile and sighed. Looking into his eyes, Sara knew something was up and had an idea as to what it was, so without hesitation she said that one word.

"Yes."

A bit confused, he cocked his head to the side like a confused dog and blinked several times.

"Yes?"

No hesitation on her part.

"Yes, but we'll have to coordinate our schedules."

The acceptance was generic, as she would do anything he asked, so "Yes" seemed to be the right answer, knowing that he'd never ask anything untoward of her. Jim was a good man with a good heart, so she figured if he wanted something from her she'd gladly give it if it was within the scope of her abilities. After all, he'd made the first move by kissing her in the storage closet. Granted the kiss was meant to stop her freaking out, but it was a kiss nonetheless, and a nice one at that. In a way, she could still feel the sensation of his lips on hers and his tongue in her mouth, forcefully massaging her tonsils. It was a bit rougher than she liked, but DAMN, the man could kiss.

"Um, ok." was his stunned response

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

The week was a long and stressful one and when the weekend came (which was actually a Thursday and Friday) Sara was more than ready for some downtime. It wasn't until Jim caught her climbing into her car that she remembered their dinner date. Not one to break her word, she sighed internally and smiled.

"Your place or mine?" she asked

"Mine. I'll cook and you can nap."

"Ok, I'll meet you there."

And with that, she turned the ignition and was off to her place to repack her overnight bag. She'd bring it just in case there was a repeat performance of her passing out on the couch. She wasn't tired, but there was just something about Jim's couch that was so inviting. It was long enough that she could stretch out in comfort and the cushions were soft, but at the same time firm, which was good, as she liked a firm mattress; better for the back and all.

By the time she arrived at Jim's house he had already started cooking and from the smell of things it would be delicious. She could smell the basil, rosemary and garlic. She was a big fan of garlic because it was good for the immune system and heart. She knocked on the slightly open door and heard him call out for her to come in. She opened the door further and once inside she could smell the whole of Jim's culinary delight. Dropping her bag by the front door and kicked her shoes off, walking to the kitchen in her stocking feet. Coming up behind him, she could see that he obviously knew his way around the kitchen as he minced fresh garlic cloves. He set his knife down, washed his hands and turned to face her, smiling.

"May I?" he asked

"You may." She replied

Leaning in, he planted a kiss on her cheek and wrapped his arms around her in a loose sort of embrace. This was all so new to both of them. Realistically speaking they weren't the perfect match. They were far apart in age and experience, but for some reason they just seemed to click in that way. They had similar taste in non work related activities and television programming as well as sports and intellectual pursuits. They were both history buffs and had a passion for foreign lands as well as the culinary arts and sports, though she would never admit to being nearly as big an ice hockey freak as he was. There were a lot of things that they kept private; figuring the proper time to "show" would present itself in time. Being loosed by Jim's grasp, she leaned against the counter and licked her lips.

"Anything I can do to help?" she asked

Handing her a pot, he smiled.

"Fill this about half way and put it on the range, then slice this lemon and drop it in. When the water boils, drop these in and cover it. They should take about half an hour to forty five minutes to cook." He said, handing her the lemon and two artichokes

"Will do." She replied, doing as she was told

"And if you don't mind, could you drain these beans and add them to the pot while I see to the sea shells?"

"Ok. What are we having, by the way?"

"Home made Minestrone soup with salad and artichokes."

"Mmmmm, sounds divine." She said, licking her lips again

Having done what Jim had asked, Sara went to the couch to lay down. She didn't intend on falling asleep, but as soon as her head hit one of the fluffy pillows, she was out like a light. Half an hour later, when Jim looked from his business to the living area, he saw her asleep and smiled. God, she's beautiful when she sleeps, he thought to himself. He'd seen her sleep many times. Sometimes he'd walk into the break room at the lab and she'd be asleep on the couch or the one time she had brought a pillow to work and lay down in his office, claiming back problems. He'd sat at his desk going over case files, periodically looking over at her against the wall stretched out, her arms above her head and her legs crossed at the ankles. She had this cute little nose whistle that she did when she slept that he thought was precious. However, to see her asleep in his house, on his couch……there was just something about that sight that warmed his heart.

A couple of hours later, when the soup had finished slow cooking, Jim went to join Sara on the couch, gently and carefully lifting her feet and placing them in his lap as he sat down and turned his attention to the tellie. There was currently something on the History channel about the Seven Wonders of the World. Stonehenge was being discussed when there was a knock at the front door. Craning his neck to see who it was, Jim let out a low growl when he saw Grissom there with his arms full of files. Reluctantly, he got up, covered Sara up and quietly walked to the front door, opening it.

"What's up, man?" he asked

"These need to be signed off on." Gil said

Slowly closing the door behind him, Jim sat in one of the Adirondack chairs on his front porch and held his hand out for a pen which Gil handed him. Quickly, Jim scanned each file and signed them. When he was done, he got up and went to go back inside when Grissom halted him.

"So, whatcha' doin' ?" he asked

"I've got company and food on the range. I gotta go." He said, rushing inside and closing the door behind him

By that time, Sara had woken up and hearing the voices on the front porch, she'd sought refuge in the bathroom for a quick shower. It wasn't until Jim called out that it was safe that she emerged, wrapped in a towel and smiling heavily at him.


	4. Chapter 4

His mouth hanging slightly open, he couldn't help but stare. As she didn't seem to mind, she placed an open hand on his blushing cheek and asked him to get her bag for her. Turning round' and picking up the bag, he handed it to her and watched as she went into the bedroom to dress, dropping her towel in the doorway and when he saw her naked form he admonished himself and his nether regions for his naughty thoughts and his body's involuntary response to seeing the beads of water glistening on her bare back and elsewhere.

Searching through her bag, Sara growled when she realized that she had neglected to pack any underthings. Her shirt on, covering her "down there", she stood in the doorway and called out to Jim.

"Where do you keep your boxers? I forgot my dainties."

Moving form the couch, he got up and in his room, he opened the top drawer of his chest of drawers and pulled out a pair of nice flannel boxers with a button on the fly, lest he see her "down there" and get all sorts of other naughty ideas. Much to his surprise, when she finally emerged from his room she was clad only in her t-shirt and the provided boxers. A quizzical look on his face, Jim raised an eyebrow.

"You keep parading around here like that and I might get all sorts of not so wholesome thoughts." He said huskily

Grinning, she replied.

"It wouldn't be the first time, now would it?"

"Um…..no." he said, blushing

"Same here." She said, rubbing his back which was now turned to her

Hearing this and try as he might, he couldn't get the stream of endless possibilities out of his mind. Returning to the kitchen, he dished out the soup, set out the salad and placed the artichokes in bowls, accompanied by an empty bowl for the leaves and one with melted butter. The set up was nicely laid out and as they sat down for their meal Sara took a nice ling whiff of the soup and smiled.

"Smells divine."

"You should try it. It's my own special recipe, perfected over many courses of trial and error. But I think I finally think I got it right."

Spoon in hand, she took a taste and let out a small moan. "God, if soup does that to her I wonder what I could………….BAD JIM!" he thought to himself. He ate slow, as he spent quite a bit of time watching Sara enjoying her meal, and BOY, did she seem to be enjoying it. "If she moans like that from artichokes, I wonder what else…………BAD, BAD JIM!" he thought to himself. For the rest of the meal Jim spent quite a bit of time trying to push thoughts of Sara in various states of undress as well as quite a few scenarios that involved the both of them in bed, on the floor, on the kitchen counter, in the hallway, on the dining room table and other sturdy surfaces doing all sorts of things that would no doubt result in bliss for at least one of them, if not hopefully both……."Oh, the possibilities" he thought to himself. True, it had been a while since Jim had "been" with anyone, but he had never had any complaints from any of his previous partners, so he was confident that the same would apply if things went the way he found himself hoping they would.

For her part, Sara wasn't making things any easier on him, playing footsie under the table and even stretching her legs out and resting them on his thigh. The way she stripped the meat from the artichoke leaves was just plain evil in his opinion. Her eyes closed, licking her lips before putting it into her mouth, the way she slowly and seductively pulled it from her mouth and the way she licked the juice and butter from her fingers after dropping the naked leaf in the provided bowl. As she finished her soup, salad and artichoke, she rested her elbows on the table and watched Jim eat his nearly untouched meal. By the time he got to his soup it was nearly cold and as for the artichoke, well he gave that a miss all together. They sat at the table for a bit and discussed what they'd do next when Jim stopped short of suggesting they jump into bed and make each other scream for dear life. Instead, he suggested the film he'd set up and as he went to change into something more comfortable and less restrictive Sara made herself comfy on the couch. When he came back he was dressed in a pair of old sweats and a Colorado Avalanche t-shirt. Sitting beside her, he patted his lap and Sara, her back to the arm rest, propped her feet up as Jim covered their laps with the throw from the back of the couch.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

It all started with a muscle cramp in Jim's left leg from Sara's feet in his lap for so long. Directing him to swing around, he did and was rewarded with a deep tissue rub that started on his calf then worked it's way down to the arch of his foot, ball and heel then back up his calf and up his thigh, dangerously close to his ever growing manhood which was becoming harder and harder (no pun intended) to conceal. Seeing the proof of his body's reaction to her touches, Sara just smiled and winked. Leaning in and whispering in his ear, her words made Jim's eyes pop wide open and his mouth gape, a bit of drool inadvertently dribbling from the corner.

"I got a crazy idea. Let's go to bed."

Pulling back, she continued.

"…..And not to sleep."

Without word one, Jim got up, shut off the tellie and hot footed it into the bedroom, taking a flying leap and landing on his side, patting the spot beside him. Slowly, Sara sauntered in and sat beside him. Facing him, sitting Indian style, she raised a halting finger.

"First, let's get a few things straight." She said in a serious tone

"Ok, shoot." Jim said, knowing that the ground rules were being set

For a moment Sara collected her thoughts and after about a minute or so she began.

"First, I'm a biter and I love to be bitten, but given our jobs we've got to be discreet."

"Agreed."

"Secondly, I like it rough. Sometimes I like to be restrained and other times I like to restrain the other person."

"Understood."

"Thirdly, communication is very important. If you want me to do something, just tell me, and fourth and most importantly, NO in through the out door. Understood?"

"Completely. Now a few of my rules." Jim said assertively

"Ok."

"No ripping out of the chest hair. I know it's an odd request, but I've had problems with that before."

"Ok"

"Secondly, feel free to spank me if you feel the need."

"Same here"

"Third and probably most importantly, its been a while, so be patient. I know its like riding a bike, but I haven't done that since I was fifteen, savvy?"

"Don't worry, I'm very patient and receptive to just about anything, save for rule four."

"Understood."

The terms having been set and both parties fully intending to respect each other's boundaries, they lay down, Sara's head on Jim's chest as he rubbed her back and she snaked her hand up under his shirt and rubbed his chest. For now they were just touching, exploring each other's bodies. Light touches and other soft contact. They continued like that, worshipping, as it were, each other's bodies until Sara tilted her head up to meet Jim's lips in a kiss that made her toes curl. His hands lightly placed on her cheeks drawing her closer to him. It was like he was making love to her with his mouth and tongue.

His right hand reaching down to rest on her waist, pulling her closer, he could feel the heat from her body as she grabbed hold of his love handle and gripped probably a bit harder than her would have expected, as the sensation of her nails on his skin elicited a deep moan that she could feel all through her body.

Almost as the fates were stacked against them, Jim growled as the phone rang and as he parted briefly to see the caller ID, he hissed.

"Grissom!"


End file.
